


Two Dark Elves and an Orc

by Fantasy_Queen360



Series: Orcs and Elves [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Cheating, Eastmarch, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Gay, Love, M/M, Mara - Freeform, Multi, Polyarmory, Riften, Skyrim - Freeform, Skyrim V: The Elder Scrolls, Vampires, Windhelm, Winterhold, straight - Freeform, the rift - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-14 21:43:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasy_Queen360/pseuds/Fantasy_Queen360
Summary: Lukayha, the Orc Dovahkiin, thought she was the happiest woman in the world when she met her husband, Revyn Sadri. That is, until she meets Brand-Shei. She decides to move her husband to Riften, where her husband finds out about her and Brand-Shei, and vows to exact his revenge with the help of the friends he has made in Riften, including Brand-Shei himself (who wants to give Lukayha a piece of his own mind). However, unexpected things end up happening on this quest, and it all ends up in the most shocking conclusion of all. What will the Dunmer do with their Orc Dragonborn?





	1. Meeting the One

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I have taken some liberties, and made some characters who otherwise would despise each other friends. And I've taken some dialogue from the game at an attempt to seem more realistic. Some characters may be OOC too, but I have tried my best to have the characters be as accurate as possible.

It all started with a desire. Not a sexual desire, or a greedy desire, but a desire for love. A desire for a companionship, or a desire to come home after a long adventure to not just a warm bed, but arms reaching out for a warm embrace. Basically, Lukayha of Orsinum, also known as the Dragonborn, wanted to get married. She had already bought the Amulet of Mara, now she just needed to find someone to spend her forever with. Soon, it was looking like her search was all for nothing. But then she met him.

Lukayha had just arrived in Winterhelm to find a boy named Aventus Arecino. She had already heard from the children in the orphanage that he wished to kill the orphanage master, and, since she already hated the lady’s guts, she was thinking about offering her services. However, she was carrying about three tons of dragon scales, so she had to find a vendor that would take her goods. After maneuvering the many alleyways full of racist Nords and disgruntled Dark Elves, she finally found a general goods store that might take the scales. 

“’Sadri’s Used Wares’,” the orc read the sign out loud, “What do you think, Lydia?”

“It must be a pawnbroker shop, my Thane,” Lydia responded, “So he might buy your scales. I’m not entirely sure, though.”

“Well,” Lukayha huffed and stretched her arms, “Only way to find out is to go in! Come on, housecarl.”

So, with that, Lukayha and Lydia brushed through the door. They were met with a warm candlelight, lighting up potions and armor found on the walls. Many books populated the shelves, along with various treats and herbs. Jewelry littered the countertop, along with even more herbs and books. It was a well-looking shop, but none of those things were what caught Lukayha’s eyes.

“Welcome,” a dark elf with piercing red eyes and short hair raised his arms, “My name is Revyn Sadri, and welcome to Sadri’s Used Goods! I assure you, all of my goods are legitimate, which is more than I can say for some.” Revyn had a slender face and neck, coupled with somewhat muscular arms. Although he seemed to have a permanent scowl in his eyes, his beaming smile and slightly crooked nose knocked Lukayha off her feet. Needless to say, she was smitten.

“H-hi,” Lukayha waved a hand awkwardly, “So, um, where do you get your goods?”

“Oh, I just take anything that comes around here. I have used armor, leftover potions, old jewelry, you name it! I got it all right here! However, I never deal in stolen goods. Ever. I have a code of honor to abide by.”

Lukayha examined that goods, and recognized many pieces she saw along her travels, such as an enchanted armor that was worn by an orc that lived at least ten miles away from Winterhelm. “Are you sure that none of it is stolen?”

Revyn huffed, “Seriously? You think I would ever be so stupid to buy something stolen? I can’t believe you would insult me like th—“ Suddenly, his eyes grew wide. “Oh shit. I just realized a gold ring that I bought today looked exactly like the one Viola Giodarnio always wore. And I saw she wasn’t wearing it today…Oh god.” He slapped his forehead in frustration, “I have to give it back to her, but I have no idea how…”

Lukayha raised a hand, “I could return it to her for you.”

“You don’t get it!!” The dark elf rubbed his temples, “If she finds out that I had anything to do with this, she’ll report me to the Jarl! I could end up in jail, or even worse.” He raised his eyebrows, “Hey, do you think you could sneak into her house and put it in a dresser? That way, she would only think she lost it!”

“Are you insane?” Lydia pulled up and slammed her hands on the counter. “My thane may always be willing to help, but she is not a criminal! She will not—“

“Sure,” Lukayha ignored her housecarl and smiled widely. “I’d love to help you! Just give me the ring, and I’ll return it as discreetly as possible.”

“Just make sure she doesn’t see you,” Revyn requested as Lydia looked at Lukayha in disbelief.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be silent as a shadow!”

She turned to leave, but Lukayha was stopped by Lydia. “Are you serious,” Lydia whispered fiercely, “You better be planning on returning that ring to Viola herself.”

“Of course not,” Lukayha whispered back, “I don’t want her running to the Jarl and reporting Revyn.”

“Why are you doing this? You never broke a law before! Sure, you’ve killed lots of people, but those were all bandits! Why?!”

“Because,” Lukayha lowered her voice, “He’s really cute.”

“What?”

“Have you seen him? Like, wow. I’m smitten already. He’s just such a cutie-pie, and—“

“You’re telling me,” Lydia raised her voice, “That you’re gonna go and break a law because some dark elf is—“

“Just stay here. This is a stealth mission, and I don’t want you jeopardizing it and getting us caught. I’ll be right back.”

“My thane—“

“Wait. Here.”

Lydia rolled her eyes, and said with a defeated voice, “Yes, my thane. I will wait here for you.”

Lukayha disappeared into the city, leaving Lydia and Revyn alone in the shop. “So,” Revyn smiled, “She thinks I’m cute?”

“Oh, you heard that?”

“I’m a dark elf. I can hear anything and everything.” He chuckled and asked, “So, are you two together?”

“What? Oh no, I’m just her housecarl.”

“Don’t only Jarls have housecarls?”

“Well, the Jarl of Whiterun assigned me as her housecarl because she’s been rewarded the title of Thane of Whiterun.”

“Oh really? What did she do?!”

“Killed a dragon.” Lydia shrugged, “She’s also the Dragonborn.”

“That’s impressive,” Revyn raised his eyebrows, “And rather unbelievable. So, what is a woman like her doing in a place like this?”

“Some quest to do with a little boy,” Lydia shrugged, “Something to do with an orphanage. I don’t know the details. I just stick by her and make sure she doesn’t get killed. Honestly though, she doesn’t really seem to need my help. All I do is carry stuff for her.”

“So, is there anything going on between you two? At all?”

“I just told you I was just her housecarl. Why are you asking anyway?” 

“Well, I’m just trying to find out if there’s anybody already roosting with her before I try anything.”

“Seriously?” Lydia laughed, “You two literally just met.”

“That’s not gonna stop me from getting to know her better,” Revyn snickered.

Right then, the door was opened to reveal Lukayha with wide eyes and trembling legs. “That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life. I am so lucky there was a dresser downstairs!”

“So,” Lydia asked, “You did it?”

“Yep. I smuggled a stolen ring back into the original owner’s house. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” Revyn grabbed a purse full of cash and reached to hand it to her. “Here is some compensation for your troubles.”

Lukayha bent slightly over the counter, and a necklace with pink jewels tumbled out of her armor. Before she could stuff it back in her armor, Revyn grabbed a hold of it and started inspecting it. “Look at you,” Revyn smiled slyly, “Wearing an Amulet of Mara. Are you saying you’re available?”

“Uh, y-yeah, maybe,” Lukayha smiled back, “Interested in me, are you?”

“You are pleasant company,” Revyn inched his face closer to the orc’s and batted his eyelashes, “more than pleasant. And what about you? Would you…” he looked to the side while his cheeks grew dark, “be interested in a life together?”

Lukayha’s eyes grew wide and she beamed, “I’d be more than interested!”

“Good! The two of us then,” Revyn grabbed Lukayha’s hands with watery eyes while Lydia slowly shook her head, “All of Skyrim should get ready to stand aside.”

The next day, the orc and the dark elf got married. Lydia and some of the mercenaries Lukayha met sat to one side of the Temple of Mara, and Revyn’s family sat to the other side. His family was rather confused as to why he was getting married so quickly, but their worries were quickly dashed away. After they looked into each others’ eyes and said their vows, Revyn agreed to move in with Lukayha in her home in Whiterun. It was a small house, but it was very cozy and warm compared to his home. Plus, the locals weren’t racist or trying to kill him all the time, which was a plus. Yes, his wife frequently disappeared for weeks, arriving home to only stay for a day or two, but they loved each other. Every time Lukayha would excitedly tell him her adventures, and whenever Revyn relayed to her the drama between the Gray-Manes and the Battle-borns, they felt their love for each other grow. Soon, Revyn found that his favorite place in the world was in the arms of his hulking orc wife. Everything was perfect. That is, until Lukayha went to Riften.


	2. Falling Deeper in Turd

A couple of days after Lukayha and Lydia originially arrived in Riften and destroyed a skooma operation, she found herself wandering in an inn full of people making merry. She wandered into a corner, sipping on a mug of Black-Brair mead. Suddenly, she heard a shout from behind her. “Hey! Orc and Nord!” Lukayha turned around to find a dark elf, Argonian, two women and two men all sitting at a table. “Hey!” The Argonian raised his hand and started waving it wildly. “Why don’t you come over and drink with us! We’re always welcome a newcomer here!”

“You mean you,” one of the women, a mean-looking gal with brown hair wrapped in a pony tail, growled, “The rest of us aren’t so glad to see strangers here.”

“Oh, come on Grelka,” the man with a blue tunic and many cloths slapped her on the back, “We’re always welcome newcomers.” He crept over to Lukayha and observed her coin pouch, “Especially when they seem to packed full of coin.”

“Back off, Brynjolf,” the tall blonde woman with war paint scowled at the man, “Grelka is right. We don’t need more thieves in the city.”

The Argonian cried out, “Wait, guys! She’s not a thief! She’s the one that helped out Wujetta and stopped that skooma operation from going on.”

“Oh, you’re the one that helped Wujetta get off her addiction? And stopped the skooma trade?” The dark elf smiled shyly and added, “That’s pretty impressive. Who are you?”

“Yea,” the man standing behind the war-paint woman piped up, “You sure don’t look like anyone who would come to Riften. Are you a mercenary?”

Lukayha rose from her seat and stood tall. “I am no mercenary: I am the Dragonborn! Adventurer of Skyrim, and keeper of the Dragon Voice! Also known as the Thane of Riften, Hjallmarch, and now Riften!”

Grelka grumbled and asked, “What are you doing in Riften then?”

“Me? Oh, I’m just traveling. What about all of you?”

“Well, we should probably introduce ourselves first.” The Argonian placed a hand on his chest. “My name is Madesi, the angry woman is Grelka, the snieving man is Brynjolf, the proud warrior woman is Mjoll the Lioness, the scaredy-cat behind her is Aerin, and the dark-elf next to me is Brand-Shei.”

“Oh, really?” Lukayha chuckled, “That’s a strange name for a dark-elf, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah,” Brand-Shei smiled nervously, “I was raised by Argonians.”

“What?” Lukayha sat with the group, across from Brand-Shei, “How did you come to be raised by Argonians?”

Grelka growled at Lukayha, but Brand-Shei raised a hand and said, “No, Grelka. It’s okay. I’m okay with telling my story.” He lowered his hand and continued, “My parents found me as a baby, abandoned by my parents. I have no idea who my real family is,” he said sadly, “The only hint I have of my ancestry is from a Maid of the House Telvanni, who escaped during an Argonian invasion.”

“You know,” Lukayha said, “This is kind of my thing.”

“What?” Mjoll inquired, “What do you mean?”

“Well, this is the kind of thing I do. I help people. I can help you find more ties to your family.”

“Really?” Brand-Shei said, “Well, I doubt you’ll find anything, but I would be forever grateful to you if you do find something.”

“While you’re at it,” Brynjolf laughed, “Why don’t you find a gold ore, mammoth tusk, and a sapphire for Madesi? He’s been asking me about them forever.”

Grelka cackled, “And how about retrieving Mjoll’s sword Grimever from the Drawven ruins of Mzinchaleft? That would finally get her to shut up about losing her lovely sword to adventure itself, and losing her purpose in life.”

“I’d love to help with those too!” Lukayha stood up and straightened her Warhammer, “I’ll love to help all of you with your deeds and desires. In a few day’s time, I will come back with a gold ore, a flawless sapphire, a mammoth tusk, a sword called Grimever, and some evidence of Brandi’s family lineage.”

“Brand-Shei.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lukayha apologized to the dark elf, then turned to the group, “And now I’m off! See you in a few days! Come on Lydia, let’s go!”

As Lukayha turned and exited the inn, she could hear Brynjolf chuckle once more and say, “They are so dead.”

\--------------------

Alas, Brynjolf was wrong. Just like Lukayha had said, within three days she and her Thane had returned with everything she had promised. She handed a grand sword to a very shocked Mjoll and Aerin, a pouch full of supplies to a pleasantly-surprised Madesi, and an old, worn out journal to a confused Brand-Shei. “Here,” she said to the dark elf,   
“You might want to see this.”  
“Let me see that!” Brand-Shei snatched the book from Lukayha and furiously scoured the pages. “Brandyl…face-to-face…Argonian invasion…child…oh my god.” He brought a palm to his gaping mouth as he fought back tears. “This…this is what I needed. Now I know where I truly come from. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You’re very welcome. More than happy to help.” She bent over to shake his hand, and an Amulet of Mara tumbled out of her armor. She quickly stuffed it back into her armor, and went with her Thane to the bar.

“Ooo,” Madesi awed, “Was that an Amulet of Mara we just saw?”

“So what if it is?” Brand-Shei snapped, “She’s an adventurer! Of course she would be single!”

“Well,” Mjoll noted, “Even adventurers have time to find loved ones and spouses. Besides, she wouldn’t be wearing an Amulet of Mara if she wasn’t looking.”

“She probably isn’t looking,” Grelka rolled her eyes, “The Amulet of Mara makes casting Restoration magic easier. She’s probably wearing it because of that, and isn’t looking for anybody. Why do you care anyway?”

“Well,” Madesi said, “She is the Dragonborn and a Thane of many Holds. She would make a pretty good canidate for marriage. Plus, look at those muscles! I don’t know about anyone else, but I do love a strong woman! Hey, Brand-Shei,” he turned to him, “I can’t really take rejection that well. Do you mind going over there and gaging what she likes?” 

“What are you talking about?”

“You know, she’s an Orc! She might just like other orcs, or she might like other species like nords or,” he winked, “Argonians. Go ahead and ask. Be a wingman!”

“Fine, whatever.” Brand-Shei got up and walked over to Lukayha and Lydia.

Right when Brand-Shei arrived, Lydia got up and walked upstairs to a room she and Lukayha had rented. He sat in Lydia’s place, and he asked, “So, what’s your adventures like?”

“My adventures? Well, I’ve killed plenty of bandits and dragons, but I’ve also seen plenty of Skyrim and I’ve met many wonderful people. I hate Windhelm, though.”

“Really? Why? Are you an Imperial?”

“Well, yes, but that’s not the point. I became an Imperial after I discovered who the Stormcloaks really are.” Lukayha squinted and growled, “Dark-elf haters.”

“Excuse me?”

“I tell you, almost every Nord in Windhelm is insanely racist against dark elves. Which is rather troubling for all the dark elves living there. I tell you, Stormcloaks have become my enemy ever since I’ve stepped foot into Windhelm. Ulfric Stormcloak is a dick too.”

“Why do you care so much about dark elves?” Brand-Shei shrugged, “I mean, elves have been instrumental in Nord trouble for years. Even now, the elves are still trying to eliminate Talos religion.”

“How do you feel about Talos religion?”

“Eh, I see it as ‘I don’t care what people believe in, as long as I get money.’”

“Heh, same.” Lukayha smiled, “Though it’s more of a ‘people believe what they want to believe’.” She laughed slightly, then added, “I care about dark elves so much because you guys are honestly my favorite species in the entire realm. I don’t know what it is about you guys. Almost every dark elf I’ve met is kind-hearted and hard-working, and…” She caught herself gazing at Brand-Shei’s eyes and mouth, and quickly looked away and muttered, “pretty good-looking.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Brand-Shei reached over to grab a glass, and his hand lightly brushed against Lukayha’s arms. As his fingers briefly touched the orc’s muscular arms, he felt a bolt of electricity go through him, making him shudder. He looked up, and saw how the light from the fireplace bounced against her green face, how her large lips stuck out and revealed her upward fangs, and how her piercing yellow eyes seemed to cut through anyone looking at them. The dark elf couldn’t tell if he was terrified or attracted. But when the orc stretched her arms and puffed out her large chest, showing her neckline to Brand-Shei’s hungry eyes, he figured it out.

“Oh yeah, that reminded me,” Lukayha said with a shy smile and a nervous voice, “On my way to the north, I found something you might like.” She pulled out a long, golden necklace with a bright red ruby in the center. “Here ya go. It reminded me of your eyes, a-a-and I thought you would like it.”

“Oh, wow. Thank you!” He took the necklace and wore it around his neck. He felt warmth from it on his chest, and his cheeks grew hotter by the second. “Say, um, are you going to come by more often?”

“I was actually planning on moving here,” Lukayha answered. She added, with a soft voice, “It would sure help seeing your face after I’ve been in the wilderness for so long. Especially since I’ve been thinking about you the entire time I was gone.”

“Really?!”

“Yep.” Lukayha slid her hands on top of Brand-Shei’s, and he felt his heart pound as she stared deep into his eyes. “Even though I’ve gotten the sword, mammoth tusk, and everything else I needed to get, the one thing that was on my mind was getting evidence about your past. I wanted to help you more than anything in the world, and this goal helped me through mages and Drougars, and many other things trying to kill me. You were my inspiration in this world.”

They heard a gasp behind them, and so they turned around and saw the group staring at them. Madesi had a wide smile on his face and looked like he was watching his child take their first step, while everyone else had wide eyes and gaping mouths. When they noticed they were caught, they quickly looked away and acted like they weren’t listening. 

Suddenly, a flute could be heard from the other side of the inn. They both turned and saw a group of three mean, one with a lute, another with a flute, and the third clearing his throat. Soon, the third man bellowed out a song about finding a lost love in the cold winterside, their love heating them up as they slowly died in each other’s arms.

“That’s rather morbid,” Lukayha whispered, “isn’t it?”

“It’s also pretty nice,” Brand-Shei smiled, then stood up and held out his hand. “Care to join me in a dance?”

“A dance? Well, I haven’t danced in a while, so—“ Before she could finish, the dark elf grabbed Lukayha by the hand and pulled her up to him. Although she was at least a foot taller than him, he could feel their hearts beat in sync as he gently swayed with her to the music. Their fingers intertwined, and Brand-Shei felt like he had lost himself in an endless cycle of passionate affection, although he literally hadn’t done anything with the orc. After a while, Lukayha whispered, “Um, B-brand-Shei—“

“You can call me Brandi, if you like.”

“Oh,” Lukayha smiled, “Brandi, I promise to visit you every time I come to Riften, and we’ll spend our days talking about adventures and basking in the moonlight.”

Lukayha surpised Brand-Shei with a dip, and the dark elf smiled and replied, “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Lukayha!” Everyone looked upstairs to see a furious Lydia glowering at Lukayha. 

“Whoops. I gotta go.” Lukayha brought Brand-Shei back up, and smiled sheepishly. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“Yea,” he felt his cheeks grow red, “See you later.”

Lukayha proceeded to go upstairs to her housecarl, and Brand-Shei felt all of the air escape from his lungs and butterflies grow in a frenzy in her stomach. With wobbly legs, he walked over to his group and plopped down at the table. He fidgeted with his hands and told Madesi, “Hey, sorry about that. Turns out she likes Dark Elves.”

“Oh no, it’s completely alright!” Madesi slapped Brand-Shei on the back and exclaimed, “I saw her looking at you the entire time! I knew you two would have a thing together. I’m so proud of you, my man. Here, have a round on me.”

“Well,” Grelka raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Looks like a certain dark elf is going to be becoming royalty soon. Mind sliding me a couple hundred coins when that happens?”

“Yea,” Bryjolf raised a mug of mead, “Slide some my way too! Lord knows the we could all use a couple thousand coins.”

“Oh, please,” Brand-Shei rolled his eyes and held up his journal, “I’m already the sole heir to the Telvanni fortune. If anything, Lukayha’s gonna be the lucky one if we marry!”

“I think you mean when,” Mjoll shot the dark elf a wink. Brand-Shei playfully punched the vigilante on the arm, and everyone raised their glasses to the lucky dark elf that had fallen for a Dragonborn destined for greatness. However, nobody was prepared for the shit storm that was going to come in a few days.  
 


	3. The Other Man

In a couple of days, the merchants spied on the Jarl’s men moving plenty of furniture into Honeyside, an empty house on the corner of Riften. Many of them debated on whether or not Lukayha was going to move into Honeyside, and whether or not Brand-Shei would end up moving in with her. However, within a week or so, all of their rumors were thrown out when they saw a Nord woman and a dark elf settle in the household. There was still no sign of Lukayha, and nobody knew when they would see her again. Brand-Shei still held on to his gold necklace in hope of her return, but that hope was growing weaker and weaker by the day. Eventually, another stall was put up in the market place. The dark elf had started a shop called Sadri’s Used Goods, and he was attracting business everyday with his dragon bones and rare enchanted armor. As more and more customers crowded at the new stall and each day crept by without a sign of the orc, Brand-Shei eventually lost all hope, and the only token he had that was proof of Lukayha’s affections was the necklace given to him.

Madesi, Grelka, and the others found Brand-Shei sitting at a table in the Bee and the Barb, sipping on a wine by himself. Madesi walked up to him and sat beside him. “Hey buddy, it’s okay. She was an adventurer. Those people aren’t really that good at commitment anyway.”

“Who knows,” Grelka said, “Maybe she got killed by a bear or something.” She got punched in the arm by Aerin, to which she protested, “What?!”

“I doubt that,” Mjoll added, “If she can survive dwarven ruins and retrieve a mammoth tusk, then she should still be alive right now.”

“She’s probably just on a wild adventure right now, and is held up at the moment.”

“Just stop,” Brand-Shei glared at Aerin, “If she wanted to come back, she would. She said she was going to move to Riften, but the only empty house got taken up by a pretty Dark Elf boy with really rare goods, a brute-looking Nord wife, and a tendency to steal my customers.” 

“Woah, woah,” Brynjolf held up his hands, “Is this what you’re so upset about? Don’t worry about it, I’m sure the Thieves Guild will get on his case. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Or,” Madesi winked, “You could try getting in with the ‘pretty Dark Elf boy’ and get a share of his goods too.”

“No thanks,” Brand-Shei replied sadly, “I don’t really want anybody right now.” They heard someone come into the inn, so they turned and saw the newcomer. “Speak of the devil.”

“Hello,” the dark elf swooped by the group and smiled kindly, “My name is Revyn Sadri. Do you mind if a fellow merchant shares a drink with you all?”

“Sure,” Brand-Shei forced a smile and handed Revyn a mug, “Here you go.” Revyn gladly took the drink and sat right by his Dumner companion. “So, where do you hail from?”

“Windhelm,” Revyn replied as he took a swig, “I was told I would get a lot more business here, but all I’ve encountered are a bunch of sniving thieves trying to sneak some stolen goods in with me.” He rolled his eyes, “But I already chased them off. Man, this town is a lot tougher than I thought it would be.”

“At least there aren’t any Dark-Elf hating Nords here.”

“You are so right!” Revyn beamed at Brand-Shei, “Plus, there’s a lot more diversity here! This is my first time meeting Argonians, but I’m sure glad I did. Say, I didn’t get your guy’s names.” Brand-Shei proceeded to introduce everyone, to which Revyn replied, “Say, you have a pretty unique name for a dark elf.”

“I was raised by Argonians, but my real name is actually Brandyl. I’m an heir to the House of Telvanni.”

“Wow, really? My family was pretty close to the Telvanni family, until they had to move to Windhelm.” He huffed, “Worst choice in my opinion. We should have just kept walking.”

“So, how did you escape Windhelm?”

“Oh, I got married!” He held up his hand, showing off his golden Bond of Matrimony. “A beautiful adventurer came by my shop, and we’ve been married ever since! Sure, I don’t travel with her, but I owe her my happiness and some wild life experiences.”

“I’m pretty surprised you married her.”

“Oh, you met her?”

“Not formally,” Grelka butted in, “But we have seen you with her.”

“Are you sure? She hasn’t been in this town since we moved. She’s out to Winterhold, something about a dark elf studying the stars.” Then Revyn gasped and exclaimed, “Oh wait, you’re talking about Iona! Oh, that’s not my wife! You sure wouldn’t catch me with a Nord anytime soon.”

Mjoll tilted her head and inquired, “Then who is she?”

“Oh, that’s just my wife’s housecarl. She stayed for a few days, then went to join my wife when she was fetched by her other housecarl.”

“So,” Brynjolf asked, “Is your wife the Jarl? If so, then why are you in your own house? Why does she have more than one housecarl? Just how rich are you? And where do you store your valuables?”

“Tone it down, buddy,” Revyn sipped and answered, “My wife isn’t the Jarl. She has two housecarls because she’s the Thane of Whiterun and Riften.”

Everybody simultaneously felt a lump in their throat, and all of their eyes widened. Brand-Shei felt as if his heart had been crushed by Lukayha’s Warhammer. The air grew tense, and everybody sat there. “Did you just say that your wife was the Thane of Riften?”

“Yep.”

“Does she also happen to be the Dragonborn? And an orc?”

“Oh, yes!” Revyn glanced at Brand-Shei, “Why, did you meet her?”

“Oh, yeah.” Brand-Shei relayed with a sad voice, “She actually helped me find out who my family was, retrieved a lost family sword for Mjoll the Lioness, and helped find goods for Madesi’s jewelry. She’s been more than helpful to all of us, and we owe everything to her.”

“Yep,” Revyn smiled, “That’s my wife! Always helping everybody she meets. She even helped me smuggle a ring into a woman’s home. Heh, long story. Anyway,” he took one last swig of his mead, “I have to get going. I’m going to be opening my shop early tomorrow morning.” He got up to leave, then turned around and waved. “See you all next time we open! I can’t wait to share another drink with you all. Especially you, Brand-Shei. It’s always nice seeing another Dark Elf.” And then he left.

After he departed, Madesi placed a hand on Brand-Shei’s shoulder and said, “I’m so sorry. None of us could have seen this coming.”

“Yeah,” Grelka grunted, “She did seem rather touchy for someone who was already taken. Did you see a ring? I sure didn’t. And who wears an Amulet of Mara if they’re married? Like, seriously—“

“Give it a break, Grelka,” Mjoll intervened, “The damage is already done. No need to add wood to the fire.” 

“She does have a point,” Aerin spoke out, “After all, if she had been committed, then why did she give Brand-Shei that—“

“Just forget it!” Brand-Shei angrily stood up and stomped towards the door. “I already accepted it, so I don’t need you all to rub it in my face! I didn’t ask Lukayha if she was available, and I should have asked her to marry me instead of waiting until she came back. So don’t talk about it any longer. I need to forget about her and move on.”

“What if she comes?” Brynjolf pondered, “What if Revyn found out about you two? What if—“

“I said forget it!” Brand-Shei ended up storming off, while Brynjolf’s eyes lit up with a mischievous spark and a plan that could shake the town.


	4. It All Hits the Fan

The next day, everyone at their stands was selling their wares. It had been a busy day, and the marketplace was crowded with people eager for jewelry or armor. Brynjolf eyed the crowd, ready to make his move. He waited until Mjoll had departed to lay in on a thief, so she wouldn’t intervene in his plan, before closing his stall momentarily and walking up to random shoppers. He exchanged a few words with each one, leaving people confused as he walked off to the next person. “Trust me,” he would keep saying as he winked and shook his coin bag, “This is going to be good.” After he approached every person in the marketplace, he walked right up to one of the stands. 

“Say,” Brynjolf said as he examined his nails, “Revyn, wasn’t it? I need to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” Revyn sneered, “I already know about your business with the Thieves Guild, and I’m not interested in becoming a part of it whatsoever. And don’t mess with me either, or Lukayha would have it at you. I don’t care what your influence is here.”

“Yes, yes, I know Lukayha is a scary person. But, I wanted to talk to you about her.”

“Why? What happened to her?”

“Nothing happened to her specifically,” Brynjolf lowered his voice, “But something did happen when you weren’t around.”

“And what’s that?”

“Well,” the Nord continued, “Haven’t you ever got the feeling that your wife has been…well…unloyal?” Revyn’s eyes grew in shock, and Brynjolf continued, “You know, since she’s been adventuring a lot lately. Haven’t you ever gotten the feeling that she found someone along the way?”

“What?! No! She’s my wife, she’s always been faithful to me!”

“How long were you two together? Before you got married?”

“Well…um…a day. But I assure you, we love each other very much and would die for each other. Her and I are the only people in Skyrim worth loving, I think.”

“Well, then why couldn’t she have fallen in love with someone else? I mean, it was fairly easy for her to fall in love with you.”

Revyn’s face grew concerned, then it quickly changed to stern as the dark elf said, “Leave me alone. You obviously know nothing about our relationship, and just trying to sabotage it so you can take advantage of her. I trust her to be loyal, and that’s final.”

“Are you sure? Are you sure there is nothing you’re suspicious abo—“

“I said leave me alone.”

“Alright, fine,” Brynjolf rolled his eyes and walked away, “But, just letting you know: your wife has a huge thing for Dark Elves. Especially for one named Brand—“

“Leave. Me. Alone.” Brynolf finally stayed silent, and leaned against the stone wall. It was as if he was waiting for something. 

His words had woken worries in Revyn’s mind, but he quickly dashed them away. He had already been assured by Lukayha’s housecarls that his wife had never hit on another person. If inquired about her Amulet of Mara, she always notified them that she was a disciple, and that she had to wear it in order to carry out her duties. She never took off her Bond of Matrimony, and she always slept in the same room as the housecarls. However, he thought, Lydia never said much about Riften. While she’s usually yakking and laughing about how many people tried to hit on Lukayha when she’s adventuring, she kept quiet about Riften. What if something did happen? Then he shook his head and thought, Nah, that’s ridiculous. She just probably didn’t say anything because nothing happened. Not really the first time.

“Hey, Revyn. How’s business?”

“Oh, it’s good Brand-Shei. Thanks for asking!” Revyn was very glad to have met Brand-Shei. Unlike the other Dark Elves in Riften, he wasn’t stoic or cold-hearted. In fact, he was really nice and friendly, untouched by the horrors of this town. He was also conviently attractive, but, then again, what Dark Elf isn’t? Even if everyone in this town was against him, except for a Nord vilgiante and her sidekick, it was still nice to have someone talk to over a mug of Black-Brair mead. Revyn had good feelings about him. That is, until he saw something very familiar around Brand-Shei’s neck. “Where did you get that necklace?”

“Oh, this thing?” Brand-Shei looked down at the ruby necklace Lukayha had given him the last time he had seen her. “Heh, an old friend gave it to me a while back. I can’t believe I still have it.”

“Let me see it.”

Brand-Shei was taken aback. He had never seen Revyn’s eyes glow with so much anger, or heard his voice so flat and emotionless. What was going on? There was no way he could have known that Lukayha had given him the necklace. \

Revyn looked closely at the necklace and noticed a small chip on the back. He brought the amulet closer to his face, and saw the letters R.S scratched at the side. “Lukayha gave you this didn’t she.”

“W-what?” Brand-Shei blushed heavily and answered, “Um, why do you ask?”

“Did she?”

“Um,” Brand-Shei grew quiet, “Yes she did.”

“So,” Revyn gripped the necklace tighter, “You mean to tell me, that my own wife bought this necklace from me after her Riften quest, came back here, and presented it to you as a gift?” Brand-Shei stayed quiet, so he continued, “A gift of affection? Because she was thinking about you on her trip instead of me? Hm, I see that this ruby matches your eyes. Did she say anything about that?” Not hearing a response, Revyn proceeded to rip the necklace from Brand-Shei’s neck and throw a fist in his face. “You fucking homewrecker,” he bellowed as he jumped his stall and glowered at Brand-Shei, “What the fuck have you been doing with my wife?”

“It’s not my fault,” Brand-Shei roared back, his fists clenched and his face growing red as tears fell, “She’s the one that started coming on to me first! How about you try keeping your own damn wife in line?” 

“Are you so blind that you couldn’t see her Bond of Matrimony?!” A crowd started gathering together, and Brynjolf smiled wickedly as Revyn continued to shout. “Or did you purposefully ignore it so you could seduce my wife into fucking your desperate ass? Are you so pathetic that you can’t find your own wife?!”

“Well, pardon me for being so much better than you that your wife decided to come onto me and practically profess her love for me!”

“You take that back,” Revyn growled, “That better be a lie.”

“Nope,” Brand-Shei shrieked, “Your wife was the one that told me that I was the one she was thinking about on her journey. I was the one that helped give her inspiration to survive. And I was the one that danced with her to a fucking love song and got dipped by her!” He turned around angrily so he couldn’t see the tears forming in Revyn’s eyes, “You may be the one married to her, but I’m the one that she loves. Besides, if she was so happy with you, then why did she wear an Amulet of Mara around her neck while she was talking to me?”

All of a sudden, Revyn snatched Brand-Shei’s hair and threw him to the ground. Brand got up quickly, but he received a knee to his face, breaking his nose. Brand-Shei proceeded to get up and push Revyn, recieveing a push back. Revyn ended up scratching Brand-Shei’s face. All of this eventually evolved into a full-out brawl in the middle of the market-place.

“Bets here!” Brynjolf raised his coin pouch and shouted, “Place your bets here! Who will win the fight for the Thane’s affections? Will it be the tragic husband, or the other man in the relationship? Come on, place your bets here!” Revyn punched Brand-Shei again, and got a punch back that resulted in some of his teeth flying out. “Odds are currently favoring Brand-Shei, the old Riften resident! Come on, place the bets here!”

Soon, Mjoll and Aerin were coming back from their arrest. She was shocked to find the marketplace in a crowded chaos, and found Revyn biting Brand-Shei on the face. “Hey!” She forced herself between the pair and broke them apart. Grelka came up and held back a fidgety Revyn, while Madesi arrived and held back a furious Brand-Shei. “What is going on here? Brynjolf!” The Nord in question gulped and slowly hid the coin purse behind his back. “Did you have anything to do with this?”

“It’s whatever,” Revyn pushed off Grelka, “I don’t care what you do with her anymore. I’m done.”

“Wait! Revyn,” Brand-Shei started to say, “I don’t want her! I am literally trying to get over her because you’re married to her. I’m sorry, but she hurt me just as much as—“  
“I’m going to fucking kill her.”

The entire marketplace fell silent. The air was tense as Revyn cried and shook after his proclamation. Brynjolf asked weakly, “Um, what was that?”

“I said,” Revyn repeated with a proud voice, “That I am going to kill her. I don’t care if I get killed or jailed because of it, but I’m sure as hell not going to let that bitch get away with this.” He marched over to his stall and threw on his cape. “Nobody follow me. I’m going to leave tonight after I gather up all of my things. Since she’s going to Winterhold, I’m going to start heading up there, and hopefully see her on the way. When I see her, she’s fucking dead.” With that, he marched off, and left the marketplace in a stunned silence. Brand-Shei just dropped to his knees, wondering what the hell he had just done, and what he was going to do next.


	5. Bringing Forces Together to Defeat a Common Enemy

That night, Revyn brought his pack of things, some poisoned arrows, and an Orcish bow to the stables, and hopped on a speckled horse. With a deep breath, he prepared himself for what he was going to do. Was he really ready to hike across Skyrim to kill the one person he’s loved, and who was responsible for the better years of his life? Was he really ready to throw it all away? He was about to hop off when he heard someone come up from behind him. He turned around in shock, and found the one man he hated most in the world behind him. “Oh, hello Brand-Shei,” he said angrily, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m coming with you.”

“What? No,” Revyn jumped off and glared into Brand-Shei’s eyes, “I’m not going to let you ruin my revenge like you ruined my marriage.”

“No, I’m going to help you.” Seeing Revyn’s confused face, Brand-Shei continued, “Lukayha led me on and broke my heart, and I haven’t even seen her since she gave me this necklace. So, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind and help you hide her body.”

“Oh,” Revyn relaxed and shot a coy smile, “You mean you’re not going to help me kill her? It’s awfully hard killing a Dragonborn, after all.”

“I’m afraid not,” Brand-Shei smiled back, “I’m not that good at killing people myself. Only with telling them off and hiding the evidence.”

The two dark elves shared a moment of silent bonding and understanding, before it was interrupted by another noise in the dark. Soon, Madesi arrived with Grelka. “Hey,” Madesi started as he panted, “I’m coming with you too. I was the one that encouraged Brand-Shei to go for Lukayha, so I’m at much more fault here than he is. I would like to redeem myself as a trusted friend.” Grelka grunted behind him, so Madesi rolled his eyes and continued, “And she’s coming because she doesn’t want to be here. She’s ‘bored’.”

Another sound rose from the darkness. Mjoll and Aerin emerged, adorning shiny armor and carrying swords. “We have decided to come as well,” Mjoll announced, “It is my duty to protect the residents of Riften, so I have come to make sure nobody gets hurt along the way.” Brynjolf came from behind them. Mjoll noticed and added, “Well, except for him. A bear can wear him as a coat for all I care.”

“Hey now,” Brynjolf retorted, “I’m just as guilty as all of you! I’m the one that started this whole thing, with them going at each other and all that. I even made money out of it! And I feel immensely guilty—“

“Did you buy that new coat with the money you made?”

“Yes, Grelka, but let me finish. I feel immensely guilty for all that I’ve done, but I do have one thing to ask of the husband.” Brynjolf cleared his throat, then asked Revyn, “Why can’t you just get a divorce?”

“We got married at the Temple of Mara, so divorce isn’t allowed.”

“Oh, yea. Killing is way easier anyway.” Brynjolf straightened the bag around his shoulder and said, “Alright, so are we going to wake up Hofgrir and buy some horses?”

“Nope.” Everybody stared at Revyn, who continued, “I only have 800 coins, so I was just going to steal one.”

Everybody gasped, and Madesi asked, “Are you serious? This is Hofgrir the Horse-Crusher we’re talking about!"

“And he’s got the strongest arms in all of Skyrim,” Mjoll added in a hoarse whisper, “You could get your spine crushed if you take one of his horses without paying.”

“Oh please,” Revyn rolled his eyes, “I’m sure he’s not going to miss any of them.” He hopped on his horse and turned to the others. “Well? If you wanna come, then get on a horse.”

“There aren’t enough horses, though. There’s only three.”

“Well then do doubles or triples? I don’t care if you come or not,” Revyn scoffed at Aerin, “It won’t change the fact that I’m going to be the one killing her---Hey!” Brand-Shei had hopped on Revyn’s horse and scooted very closely behind him. “Um, do you mind? You’re the one that seduced my wife.”

“No, I wasn’t, first of all,” Brand-Shei glowered, “And second of all, you’re not the only one with beef with Lukayha. There’s no way I’m going to let you leave without me. And, if that means I’m going to be riding the same horse as you, then so be it. Besides,” he looked around at everyone else in the group, struggling to climb on their horses, “I don’t really want to ride the same horse as anyone else. Mjoll and Aerin ride too fast, Grelka’s a bitch, Madesi stinks, and Brynjolf is just an asshole.”

“Well, that’s fair enough,” Revyn noted as he watched the others. Madesi and Grelka had saddled up together on a horse, while Aerin and Mjoll found their place on another one. Brynjolf had already tried to ride with the Argonian and Nord, but they glared at him till he moved on to the Dumners’ horse. “Sorry, there’s only enough room on here for two.”

Mjoll sighed deeply, then said, “Brynjolf, you can ride with us if you would like.”

“Really? Ugh,” Brynjolf scoffed, “I would rather ride the back of a troll than ride with a Goody-Two-Shoes like you two.” Suddenly, the door to the stables opened. An angry man with a blond beard gaped, then glared at the group on their horses. “It’s the Horse-Crusher!” Brynjolf scrambled onto Mjoll’s and Aerin’s horse, “Ride! Ride before he gets us!”

“Hey! Get back here, you thieves!” Hofgrir raised a sword and ran at the group screaming, “Get back here now! I’m going to rip your arms apart!”

Revyn reared his horse, then sped past Hofgrir into the wilderness. The group followed close behind. “Well,” Revyn retorted after a couple of minutes, “Looks like that man doesn’t have the strongest legs in all of Skyrim.” He and Brand-Shei shared a laugh, but that quickly stopped when they heard noises behind them. The pair turned and saw a mob of guards running towards them, with Hofgrir leading them and carrying a mace. “Guess I’m wrong.” Revyn kicked his horse, and the dark elves rode faster and faster. However, the guards and stable master stayed close behind. “How the hell are they running so fast?! That’s literally impossible!”

“Let’s ditch the horses,” Brand-Shei shouted.

“What?! Are you insane?!”

“If we leave the horses,” Brand-Shei continued, “Then the guards won’t chase us anymore. All they want is the horses.”

Revyn hated to admit it, but the dark elf was right. With that in mind, Revyn slowly stood up on the horse, and pushed the horse in the other direction as he and Brand-Shei jumped off. They laid in the bushes, and watched as the guards and Hofgrir round up the horse. “I wonder what happened to everyone else,” Brand-Shei said as he watched the guards round up more horses. Then the dark elves heard a noise behind them, and turned to see the others watching the guards with keen eyes. “Nevermind. I guess you guys had the same idea as us?”

“Well,” Madesi explained, “We were actually thinking about running back to town, but the town is surrounded by guards.”

“Yea,” Brynjolf added, “And there’s no way I’m going back with that many men around.”

“Aren’t those your men?” 

“Yea, Brand-Shei, but I owe a lot of those guys money. They’d love to throw me in jail for a few days. Plus, Maven is mad at me right now, so there’s no way I’d be left off the hook.”

“So,” Mjoll continued, “We decided to continue and join you two on this adventure.”

“Since we had to get rid of our horses to get rid of the guards,” Revyn said bitterly as he glared at Brand-Shei, “We’re going to have to walk all the way to Winterhold.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not going to take that long,” Grelka scoffed, “My cousin lives up there. Maybe Ulfric Stormcloak would help us.”

“Winterhold, not Windhelm. Winterhold is farther north than Windhelm.”

“Oh god,” Grelka yelped in horror, “That’s going to take forever!”

“You’re more than welcome to stay behind,” Revyn glowered, “But I know I’m going to go and confront my wife about what happened. There is no way I’m going to sit here and wait for her to come home to explain herself.”

“And I’m coming with you,” Brand-Shei said, “We’ve already established that, and there’s no way I’m going to back down.”

“Suit yourself,” Revyn turned his back and started walking, “But don’t wait up. If you get left behind, then you get left behind.” Brand-Shei shook his head and rushed to follow him towards Winterhold. After a silent discussion involving giving each other looks and shrugging, the rest of the adventurers followed the dark elf pair, embarking on an adventure that could change their lives.


	6. Stopping for Directions

After the sun was sinking close to the ground and the group had been walking for hours and hours upon end, Brand-Shei asked, “Do you even know where you’re going?”

“Of course I do!” Revyn snapped, then looked around frantically, “We’re…uh…supposed to be following a river.”

“A river?” Mjoll asked, “Which river? I may know of it.”

“I don’t freaking know, a river is a river.”

Madesi asked, “Then how do you know we’re going the right way?”

“I just do! It’s in my blood.”

“Oh look,” Brynjolf pointed at a small group of miners, “There’s people! Let’s ask for directions.”

“Directions?!” Revyn turned his head and snapped, “We don’t need directions! I know where I’m going!”

“I don’t think there’s any towns on the way to Winterhold from Riften.”

“Shut it, Lioness. We don’t need any help, let’s just pass through and move on.”

“You know what?” Brand-Shei pushed back Revyn and stomped towards the miners getting ready to sit and eat, “No, you don’t know where you’re going, and I’m not about to end up in Whiterun because you’re too stubborn to ask others for help! Excuse me,” he called out to the miners, who turned towards the group. The miners consisted of an Argonian, a dark elf, and four humans. “Can you tell us the way to get to Winterhold?”

“Or,” Revyn pulled up from behind and glared at Brand-Shei, “if this is already the right way to Winterhold.”

“I mean,” the dark elf started, “You’re pretty far off from Winterhold. Where do you hail from?”

“Riften,” Revyn replied.

Suddenly, the Argonian started cracking up laughing. He ended up falling to his knees and collapsing on the ground from laughter. After a few minutes of insane laughter, the humans started snickering as well, and the dark elf stifled a laugh as he said, “Ok, you’re definitely going the wrong way then. You’re not even going north. More like Northwest, towards Dawnstar.”

“See?!” Brand-Shei pointed in Revyn’s face, “We all told you that you were going the wrong way. ‘You just have to follow the river. I know where we’re going. I don’t need directions.’ My ass.”

“Oh, come on you two,” Grelka huffed as the others caught up, “We get it. Revyn was wrong. Now shut up and let’s just get directions. Hey, dark elf—“

“Sondas.”

“Yea, yea, can you point us to Winterhold?”

“Uh,” Sondas looked into the distance and pondered, “I don’t really know where Winterhold is, but I do know where Windhelm is, and that’s pretty close by to Winterhold.”

“Oh great,” Revyn growled, “That’s really helpful.”

“No, no,” Mjoll spoke, “That is actually very helpful! We can just ask where Winterhold is when we get to WIndhelm, and we’ll be on our way!”

“Oh, yeah,” Sondas reached into his pocket, “Since you’re going to Windhelm, do you mind dropping something off for me?” He reached out a note towards Revyn, “The miners down here caught a sickness from the mines, and I need to order medicine from the White Phial in Windhelm.”

“In Windhelm?” Revyn handed the note back to Sondas, “Forget it. I wasn’t really planning on returning to that racist city anytime soon.” Mjoll snatched back from Sondas and gave Revyn a bloody glare. “But I guess the Nords won’t have any problems going in.”

“Returning?” Sondas asked, “Are you originally from Windhelm?”

“Yes, I haven’t been there in years,” Revyn laughed slightly, then stopped. His eyes darkened with a solemn look. “It’s a long story.”

“And you have plenty of time to tell it,” Sondas replied gleefully, “We can scrounge up a few sleeping bags for you and your company to stay the night. And we’ll even give you guys some supplies and food for the journey ahead.”

The company gladly accepted the miner’s hospitality, and found themselves among good-natured people with old stories from their past. Annekke, a Nord woman, used to be an adventurer, and settled after she met her husband and finding the mind. Another Nord woman was with her husband, and he was planning on joining the Stormcloaks soon. Derkeethus, the Argonian who had laughed at Revyn, had a knack for trapping himself in caves. And finally, Sondas had a family in Morrowind, but was forced to leave them when the volcano erupted and covered his home. Overall, it was good company. But the company wasn’t enough to lift the sorrow weighing on Revyn’s and Brand-Shei’s hearts.

“So,” Sondas asked Revyn while pouring him a cup of mead, “You got out of Windhelm, one of the worst cities in Skyrim for Dark Elves, because you got married to the Dragonborn?”

“Yep. Fell in love at first sight.” 

“So why are you going to Winterhold?” Sondas chuckled, “Planning on joining the Mages College to get a hobby while the missus is away slaying dragons?”

“Actually, we…um…wanted to confront her,” Revyn replied with a quiet voice.”

“Confront the Dragonborn? Why?”

“Because,” Brand-Shei interjected, “Revyn wasn’t the only one Lukayha had seduced. She had seduced me too, and I fell for her charms. I’m coming along so I can give her a piece of my own mind before Revyn kills her.”

After a moment of silence, Sondas reflected, “Oh. So you two are basically confronting one of the most dangerous women in Skyrim because she jilted you in the love department?” He shrugged, “Seems kind of like a fool’s venture, but I don’t blame you. If I knew that someone I was dating ended up shagging someone else, then I’d want to kill them too.”

“’Shagging’?!” Brand-Shei leaned back sharply and asked in shock, “Shagged?! I never did anything with Lukayha. All she did was dance with me, tell me that she was thinking about me throughout her entre journey, and that she swore the next time she came to Riften, ‘we’ll spend our days talking about adventures and basking in the moonlight’.” He sighed, “It was disgustingly romantic, the way she looked at me that night. I’ve been thinking about her every day, waiting for her to come back, but instead,” he looked back at Revyn with a disgusted sneer, “I got her husband. Trust me, Revyn, when I say that I want to kill her as much as you do. I thought she was going to come back and marry me, but she brought you instead.” He choked back tears and turned his head, “I was right to doubt Mara once again.”

Sondas and Revyn just sat in silence. After a few minutes, Revyn wiped his own tears and said, “Well, it’s too late to turn back now, isn’t it? All we can do at this point is go find her, k-kill her, and,” he interrupted himself with a sniffle before continuing, “and be finished with her.”

“Well,” Sondas said, “Just be careful of all the bandits on the road on the way to Windhelm. And I hope you have a place to stay, Revyn, since I’m presuming that you’re staying at your wife’s house.”

“You can stay at Haegla’s Bunkhouse with us,” Grelka butted in as she scooted between Revyn and Brand-Shei, “In fact, there’s an empty bed right between me and Brand-Shei with your name on it, just waiting for you.”

“I thought that bed belonged to Madesi,” Mjoll added in as her and Aerin walked up behind the dark elves.

“It’s fine, really,” Madesi replied when he walked up to Mjoll, “I’ve already told Svana a million times that I was perfectly content with sleeping in Beggar’s Row. The dampness comforts me anyway. Listen, Revyn,” the Argonian placed a hand on Revyn’s shoulder, “I’m really sorry about all this. I was the one that prompted Brand-Shei to start talking to Lukayha, and—“

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Revyn smiled weakly, “If Lukayha had intended on staying faithful, she would have rejected Brand-Shei. But it’s fine. I’m…I’m over it already. Excuse me,” Revyn stood up suddenly and began walking away, “I need to take a leak. I’ll be back soon.”

After a little bit, while the rest of the company and miners drank and made merry, Brand-Shei got up and followed Revyn to where he was. As he got closer, he started hearing sniffling and choking noises. He finally got sight of Revyn, and saw the dark elf hunched over and making loud sobbing noises. He threw his head into the air and whispered painfully as tears fell down his face, “Why?! Why the fuck did you do this?! I thought you loved me. I thought you loved me.” Brand-Shei was about to walk down, but he stopped himself. He proceeded to simply sit out of sight until Revyn walked back to the camp with a dry face, and followed suit after Revyn had already went to sleep. Brand-Shei cried himself to sleep that night.

\-----------------------------  
That morning, both the dark elf men were woken up by Madesi’s and Brynjolf’s loud arguing. Apparently, Brynjolf had tried to dare Madesi to steal some Conumdrum Ore for his jewelry, and it ended up in a shouting match about morals and rights. Meanwhile, Grelka was nearby and rolling her eyes with much pain, and Mjoll and Aerin were talking to Sondas. 

Mjoll turned around and said, “Oh, you two are awake. Splendid! We can start making our way to Windhelm, deliver this letter, and find directions to Winterhold. Simple enough, isn’t it?”

“And avoid the bandits along the way,” Aerin added.

“Yes, and preferably avoid bandits along the way. Of course, I believe that I offer plenty protection in case we came across any.”

“Oh yes,” Grelka scoffed, “We know all about your adventures, how your father was a hunter, and how your mother was the one that taught you how to fight with a sword! Just drop it already so we can go home already.”

“If you didn’t want to come along,” Madesi hissed, “Then you shouldn’t have. Just go back to Riften if you want.”

“Back off, green-skin! You know damn well that if I could leave Riften, I would. I literally can’t afford to go back. We’re all probably wanted fugitives! In fact, it will all be better if the bandits just got a hold of you, and—“

“Hey!” Brand-Shei got between the angry Nord and the Argonian, and turned to Grelka, “If I hear you spouting off at Madesi one more time, I’m going to throw you into a pit of trolls to tear you up, I swear by Azura!” He glowered at Grelka and growled, “Do I make myself clear?!” She stayed quiet, and Brand-Shei said, “Good. Now keep your trap shut. Come on, everybody. Let’s go. Thank you, Sondas.”

“You’re very welcome,” Sondas replied, “Have a nice trip, and be safe!”

With that, the group started on their way towards Windhelm. Revyn ran up besides Brand-Shei, and nudged his arm saying, “Heh, great job referencing Azura there. If she were in your shoes, she would have already sent Grelka to the trolls already.” Brand-Shei chuckled in response, and the pair continued their way in peace.


	7. Going Down a Really Bad Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally don't like Ulfric Stormcloak, and these are the attitudes I've gathered from Revyn and Brand-Shei in the game, with Revyn being glad that the Imperials take over Windhelm, and Brand-Shei joining Grelka in blaming Ulfric Stormcloak for the trade being slow.

The group made their way to Windhelm. They had to tiptoe past a giant’s camp and resist the urge to stop by the Eldergleam Sancutary, but overall the trip had seemed to get easier. Plus, everybody was starting to get along better. Grelka and Madesi had taken Brand-Shei’s threat seriously, and were, for once, conversing with each other without bickering. They had even discovered a common interest in gems and metals. Brynjolf gave up trying to sneaking around Mjoll, and the two had a somewhat court yet respectable friendship. It had also become pretty clear that Mjoll and Aerin were a bit closer than someone with a life debt, by the way that they were caught looking at each other and the way that they leaned towards each other.

Meanwhile, Brand-Shei and Revyn were becoming close as two peas in a pod. In fact, they now had a subject to bond over, after Revyn had provided some background information on his hometown. “Ulfric Stormcloak is such a huge dick,” Revyn snorted, “That when a kitten was drowning in the lake nearby, he left it because it said meow instead of ‘Hail Talos’.”

“Come on,” Brand-Shei laughed, “He’s not that bad. Yes, he screwed the merchants of Riften because trade caravans haven’t been able to travel the roads, but I’m sure he wouldn’t let a kitten drown.”

“True, that was an exaggeration,” Revyn rolled his eyes, “But he’s practically a child. Trust me. I heard that Lukayha had tried to monitor a peace treaty between the Empire and Stormcloaks to catch some dragon or whatever, and Ulfric had asked for Markarth as part of the treaty. Markarth is the Empire’s source of iron and precious metals, so the Empire would have been screwed over completely. In this case, Riften would have been a fair trade choice, as its waters provide an easy way to Morrowind, in case Morrowind declares war on Skyrim. And you know what Stormcloak did?”

“What did he do?!”

“Threw a hissy fit, that’s what. Stomped his foot, and threatened to leave becaue ‘it was clear that the Dragonborn was on the Empire’s side.’ Pfft, would have been good if the Empire took over, honestly.”

“Actually,” Brand-Shei noted, “The Empire taking over might not be such a good thing. Especially for Riften.”

“What? What good reason could a bastard like Ulfric Stormcloak have for being High King?”

“Well, for one, the worship of Talos would be completely banned throughout Skyrim. No matter what you think of Ulfric or the Empire, but banning people from worshipping one of the Divines is still wrong. Plus, you know Maven Black-Brair?”

“You mean one of the most corrupt women in Riften? The one that has the Thieves Guild working for her and her family? What about her?”

“She has friends in the Empire. So, if the Empire were to take over Riften—“

Revyn’s eyes grew wide, and he interrupted with a realization, “Maven would become Jarl of the Rift. Shit, that is a very good reason to not side with the Empire. Man, I don’t like the Jarl we have now, but Riften would be fucked if Maven were officially in charge.”

“Yea, but from what you’re telling me about how Dark Elves are treated in Windhelm,” Brand-Shei smiled, “Having Maven as Jarl is better than having a Dark-Elf hater as High King of Skyrim. If anything, we could just move when Maven becomes Jarl.” Revyn gave him a strange look, and Brand-Shei responded by blushing slightly and saying, “I mean, since we’re both dark elves. I’m talking about all dark elves in Riften, not just the two of us.”

“Sure, you are,” Revyn smiled coyly. 

Mjoll stopped suddenly and announced to the group, “Alright, everybody, this is a good place to camp for the night.” Both Brand-Shei and Revyn whipped their heads to the sky, and found the sun had been setting behind the mountains. “I know we got really far in the past three days, but we had been walking nonstop until we got to Darkwater Crossing. We should be safe from the Rift guards now, as we are nearing Eastmarch. We will have at least two people staying up for guard duty, cycling every hour, so that none of us may be ambushed by bandits in our sleep. So, everybody, unpack your things and let’s eat.”

“Pfft,” Madesi said as Grelka snickered behind him, “Who died and made you High Queen, oh mighty ruler?”

“You and Grelka can take first watch if you wish.”

“No, thank you Mjoll. I would rather catch some shut eye before being responsible for the wellbeing of our entire company.”

“Alright, anybody want to volunteer for first watch?” Everybody stayed silent, so Mjoll sighed and said, “I suppose Aerin and I will take first watch, then.”

Before everyone went to sleep, they all gathered around a fire and took part in some of the food Sondas had given them. There was a lot of mead, along with bread and cooked Goat meat. It also looked like Derkeethsus had sneaked in some fish he had gotten from his fishing trips. Everyone made merry and chatted with each other about how Ulfric Stormcloak was going to be the death of merchants, and ways to dissolve the Thieves Guild (with Brynjolf knocked out from all the mead he had drank). After a while, everyone but Mjoll and Aerin had gone to sleep, with Madesi and Grelka take charge after them.

Suddenly, Revyn jolted himself awake. He looked around, and found Madesi and Grelka snuggling up to each other near the fire. He stood up, and started walking around the camp. “Looks like it’s just us now.”

“Agh!” Revyn spun around to see Brand-Shei standing right behind him. “Shit, man. You gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry about that. How long do you think we’ve been without night watch,” Brand-Shei gestured to the Nord and Argonian.

“Eh, no idea, and I don’t really care. Looks like your threat had a bigger effect on them than just being civil with each other.”

“What can I say?” Brand-Shei chuckled, “Madesi is a very charming man. He can reel in anybody if he wanted to, especially people speciest against reptile-men. Unfortunately, he’s just interested in selling his wares and getting by without being mugged on the street.”

“I don’t blame him,” Revyn muttered, “It felt like people had been watching my every move ever since I even arrived in Riften.” He paused, then smiled weakly as he looked back at Brand-Shei, “But, of course, that was probably because I was married to the woman that had been hitting on you.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself over it too much,” Brand-Shei placed a hand on the dark elf’s shoulder, “She’s an adventurer. Like Madesi always told me, ‘the only thing adventurers bring to a relationship is stories and loot’.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Revyn said quietly, “Sure, she told lots of stories, and brought back lots of loot, but she was pretty much one of the few things I looked forward too. I would just wait for her to come home, and she would stay for a day or two, being affectionate and loving every time.” He started sniffling, “I loved hearing about how she slayed dragons, and how she scaled landscapes to help the people of Skyrim. Heh,” he wiped his face, “Sorry, you would have had to be there. It’s hard to explain how an adventurer was a good wife to outsiders.”

“Was a good wife,” Brand-Shei pointed out, “You have to remember, I was almost in the same boat as you. I was about to propose to her when she came back, but she never did.” He sighed, then looked away to hide his trembling eyes, “Plus, she was the one that instigated all this. Who knows who else she flirted with or confessed her love to while she was away, and you were at home tending a store.”

“Actually, you were the first.”

“What?”

“Yea,” Revyn shrugged as Brand-Shei gapped, “In fact, one of the most common and funniest stories I would hear from Lukayha and Lydia was how people would hit on her relentlessly, but she would reject them every single time. In fact, every town or settlement she went to, there was at least one person, regardless of gender, trying to get cozy with her. But she rejected them, because of me.” He breathed a deep sigh, then continued, “I know you were the first, because this was the first time I hadn’t heard anything about people hitting on her. I could tell there was something wrong too, cause Lydia was glaring at her the entire time while she propositioned to move to Riften—“

“Wait, she was the one that wanted you to move to Riften?”

“Yea.” Revyn raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes, “Wait a minute. That’s strange as fuck.”

“Yea, having your husband move to the same city as your paramore? And disappearing right away, and leave your husband and lover together without any explanation? Wow,” Brand-Shei widened his own eyes, “That is weird.”

Revyn was about to speak, when he heard a noise behind them. They stayed silent, and the bushes rustled again. “Eh,” Revyn shrugged, “It’s probably just some rabbits or something.”

“We should wake Mjoll.”

“What?! Why? There’s nothing there!”

“There’s obviously something or somebody there, and I don’t want to take chances and have us ambushed.”

“Tell you what,” Revyn smiled widely and stood up, “How about I go check it out, and if you hear me screaming, then you can wake up Mjoll, okay?” Before Brand-Shei could refuse, Revyn walked off into the bushes. The dark elf brushed through the grass, searching for the source of the noise. As he was searching, Revyn heard footsteps behind him. He froze, but the footsteps didn’t. He stood there, until the footsteps got closer, and closer, and closer, and closer…then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Ahhh—shit!” Revyn turned around to see Brand-Shei behind him once again. “What in Azura—I told you to stay behind!”

“I didn’t want you to be out here by yourself! What if there were bandits, or worse?!”

“Oh, please. Stop worrying so much,” Revyn rolled his eyes, “we’re going to be fine. There’s nobody out here, I guarantee it.” They heard the grass move beside them. “That was probably just a rabbit.”

“You’re always saying that!”

“By the Nine Divines,” Revyn growled, “Get a hold of yourself! If there were bandits out here, they would have heard us by now!”

“I think you are a little too late for that,” a voice sounded behind them. Brand-Shei and Revyn spun around to tall, dark-grey skinned woman with glowing eyes. “What do we have here, then?” The woman stepped forward, and three more men with glowing eyes emerged from the shadows, “Some little Dunmer boys all by themselves, and,” the woman got especially close to Revyn and breathed in his face, “they look delicious.”

“I don’t know who you are,” Revyn snapped, “Or what you are, but you better get out of my face!”

“Or you’ll what, pretty man,” the woman smiled wickedly, “what will you do to a vampire?” Revyn choked, trying to find a retort, but the woman didn’t give him a chance. The vampire proceeded to bite down on Revyn’s neck while the other vampires closed in.

Brand-Shei clenched his first and punched the female vampire in the eye, and quickly dragged Revyn away from the other vampires. The two dark elves ran as fast as they could, but the vampires were quickly closing in. “Look, a cave!” Revyn pushed Brand-Shei off and ran towards the cave he just spotted, “We can hide in here until sunrise! Hopefully, there’s something in there we can stab them with.”

“Oh, yeah,” Brand-Shei shouted in anger as he ran after Revyn, “Because we can totally find a random forge and create swords to kill these fuckers!”

“You’d be surprised at how many caves in skyrim have forges in it.” Revyn and Brand-Shei managed to slip inside the cave without the vampires seeing them, or so they thought.


End file.
